I am quite certain that this small event is not blog-worthy, but it's important to me. It shows me that Sam is thinking through and following through in his routines in daily activities, checking up on himself, caring about his environment, and something his dad appreciates... learning to be neat and clean.

Sam finished brushing his teeth the other day and after turning the water off and rinsing his toothbrush, he turned to leave the bathroom. Then he stopped himself and turned back to the sink, looked in, and turned the water back on. He noticed that there was still toothpaste in the sink. He rinsed the sink with water, got rid of the toothpaste blob, turned off the water, dried his hands, and then turned the leave (after placing the towel on the countertop).

We have been working on the brushing routine for years. He can do it pretty well by himself (I still help out though because I am obsessive about keeping his teeth cavity-free!). But it is after he brushes that he kind of forgets what to do, either by leaving the water on after rinsing (yes, he's left the bathroom with the water running before!) or not rinsing the sink, or even just forgetting to close the drawer. The seemingly simple routine of teeth-brushing is actually over a dozen steps and a lot to remember! I was so proud of him for remembering to go back and check that sink to make sure it was clean. Not important? For us, it was quite exciting and showed us that he is progressing in his thoughtfulness, follow-through, and cleanliness. Now, if we can just get him to put his dirty clothes in the hamper.....